Serving God by Serving My Neighbor

Bishop Demetrics and Pauline Roscoe

 Contrasting Human nature against the Spirit Man

The advantage of a Hebraic perspective is understanding the environment and culture which gave the world the sacred Manuscripts, known as the Bible.
From the Hebrew perspective, the Bible has one message, and that message is to become more like God. From the book of Genesis to Revelation, the theme is about an ethical life.

What does it mean to become more like The Messiah?

Let’s take a few scriptures from Peter’s second epistle regarding the divine power; God has given to the believer.

First of all, Peter was that disciple who was willing to fight for the Messiah at His arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. On the contrary, physical fighting was the last thing on Yeshua’s mind (Jesus’ Hebrew Name).
There are two new types of warfare Jesus had to demonstrate to His disciples. This new standard of the battlefield is the war within one’s self and the method of resisting the Devil.

Calvary revealed Christ’s self-control over His emotions, which is an essential attribute for defeating the Satanic kingdom.

 

The Jewish Messiah also demonstrated self-control over His need for self-defense. Even when it looked like Christ was losing the battle, our suffering Messiah trusted faithfully in His Father’s plan.
Peter was there at Calvary to see this superior tactic at work.
By His divine power, God has given us everything we need to defeat the realm of darkness.

2 Peter 1: 7 “knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,”
2 Peter 1: 8 “The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
What Satan saw was his influence deterioration because of this silent servant. Satan saw a human, who ignored his rights so that the Divine power of God revealed from Heaven manifested in the earth.

The image of a man looking out for others frightened the Devil so much that he fled to get away from the horrifying spectacle.

When men are ethical
eth·ics
[ˈeTHiks]
NOUN
Moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.
Synonyms: moral code · morals · morality · moral stand.
The branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.
synonyms: fairness · justness · fair play · fair-mindedness · equity
https://app.grammarly.com/docs/301604303

In fact, the pathway to a genuine relationship with the God of the Bible partly bases on our ethical relationship with us toward our neighbor. The two fundamental duties of the servants of Adonai is to have a servant’s mentality with God and with our neighbors.

DUTY OF MAN TO GOD
De 6:5; 10:12,13; 11:1; 30:15-20; Jos 22:5; 23:11; Ps 31:23; Pr 23:26; Mt 4:10; 12:50; 22:21,36-40; Lu 17:10; 21:3,4; Joh 4:34; 6:38; 14:15,21; 15:14; Ac 4:19,20; 5:29; Jude 1

DUTY OF MAN TO MAN
Le 19:18; Isa 58:6,7; Mt 7:12; 25:34-46; Lu 10:25-37 (Naves Topical Bible Index)

Whenever, the Devil’s influence is halted, by the Body of Christ the Name of Adonai is glorified.

12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing.
Ephesians 6:12-13

(CWSB Dictionary)
The determination to resist Satan by exercising every power in one’s spiritual being.
Syn.: agṓn (G0073), conflict, fight, contest, English “agony.”
Ant.: eirḗnē (G1515), peace, quietness; hēsuchía (G2271), quietness.

(Amplified Bible – AMP)
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-2

Satan plans to create problems between believing members of the Body of Christ, expecting us to self-destruct and to contaminate our spirit man with strife and unforgiveness.

But the Holy Spirit is giving us the Mind of Christ.
First, the Holy Spirit lets us know who is the real enemy and the work of the Devil is exposed, and ultimately he is defeated. When the Devil is revealed, then we know where to focus our prayer. Now the Kingdom of God fights for us as the result of our faith working in us.

23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.
24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.
Galatians 3:22-25

Peter learned a great lesson while the Messiah was winning the unseen warfare on the Cross. For the first time in Peter’s life, he witnessed a man defeat the champion of the underworld (Satan), without lifting a hand.

Growing in Bible Faith

3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself utilizing his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
2 Peter 1:3-9